Housing for fluorescent lamps



Jan. 4, 1944.

B LEVY HOUSING FOR FLUORESCENT LAMPS Filed Sept. 10, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 4, 1944. B. LEVY HOUSING FOR FLUORESCENT LAMPS Filed Sept. 10, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Iii WWW a %W%M Patented Jan. 4, 1944 HOUSING FOR FLUORESCENT LAMPS Barnett Levy, Belmont, Mass., assignor to A. L. Smith Iron 00., Chelsea, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 10, 1940, Serial No. 356,171

4 Claims.

This invention relates to housings or fixtures for fluorescent lights. It is an object-of the invention to provide means for installing fluorescent lights quickly, easily and economically. In a more specific aspect, the invention relates to a housing structure for fluorescent lights, which is adapted to be installed, practically without the use of tools, in certain kinds of acoustic ceilings.

According to the invention, sectional housing members are provided with means for assembling them manually with little or no necessity for tools of any kind. These housing members are in the form of inverted troughs which may have rims adapted to engage and be'supported by T-bars of the kind used for the support of certain kinds of perforated metal acoustic ceilings.

For a more complete understanding of the inventiomreference may be had to certain embodiments thereof which are hereinafter described and are illustrated in the drawings, of which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of housing members embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of a housing member, showing the installation thereof in a ceiling.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a fluorescent lamp and the supporting element by which it is mounted within a housing member.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of two housing members joined together.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary end view of a glazed housing member installed in a ceiling.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the upper portion of a modified form of housing member.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of an end portion of a housing member and a screen or baffle plate adapted to be installed therein.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of means for connecting a housing member to a ceiling hanger.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 of modified connecting means for glazed housing members.

Fig. 11 is an elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 9.

As shown in Fig. 1, the fluorescent lamps may be housed in a structure which comprises one or more sections forming an inverted trough. Each such trough section may be made from a sheet of metal or the like and preferably consists of a horizontal top 20, upper side walls 22 Which flare slightly, an intermediate portion having side walls 24 which diverge or flare sharply, a lower intermediate portion having side walls 26 which diverge or flare slightly, and a lower portion having side walls 28 which flare sharply to bottom rims 30. The side margins of the sheet from which a trough section is made are bent up to form upstanding flanges 32 which project vertically upward from the respective rims 30. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, each of these rims 32 is formed with a heading 34 which may be continuous or discontinuous and which is adapted to be sprung into tongue-and-groove relationship with a T-bar 36, the latter being a standard fitting adapted to be secured to ceiling beams 38 for the support of perforated sheet ceiling panels 40. The trough sections are preferably about four feet long so that each trough section can support a single fluorescent lamp, such lamps being tubular in form and usually four feet long. For large rooms or halls, any desired number of trough sections may be joined end to end, as indicated in Fig. 1. For this purpose, metal straps 42 are permanently secured by welding, soldering, or otherwise along the end edges of the side wall portions 24 and 26, the straps 42 having short portions 44 which are set away from the adjacent surfaces of the trough walls so as to form openings to receive fastening elements, such as connectors 48. The straps 42 which are on abutting ends of successive trough sections are preferably offset laterally from the end edges of the sections, one of the straps 42 being offset in such a manner as to project laterally beyond the end edge of the section, the other strap 42 being set back from. the end edge by a distance equal to that by which the other strap projects beyond the end edge of its section. As a result of this arrangement of straps with respect to the end edges of the abutting trough sections, the seams between the straps are ofiset from the seams between end edges of the trough sections, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, this resulting in a stiffer joint between the trough sections. The connectors 46 may conveniently be strips of metal or other reasonably stiff but flexible material adapted to fit in the openings under the offset portions 44 of the straps 42. For convenience in handling, each connector 46 may have an end portion 48 bent up as indicated in Figs. 1 and 5. After the connectors have been thrust through a pair of alined openings to connect together two adjacent trough sections, the further end 50 of each connector may be bent up as indicated in Fig. 5 to lock the sections together.

The ends of each housing may b closed by securing end plates 52 across the ends of the assembled trough, the plates 52 having suitable slots 54 therethrough adapted to register with the openings under the offset portions 44 of the adjacent straps 42 on the trough sections to which the plates 52 are secured. The straps 42 on the ends of the sections which are abutted by the plates 52 are preferably secured to the trough sections with an edge flush with the end edge of the trough section, as indicated in Fig. 1. The plates 52 are secured in place by means of connectors 46 which are thrust through the openings under the adjacent straps 42 and through the registering slots 54, the projecting ends of the connectors 46 being then bent over against the outer faces of the plates 52. The side edges of th plates 52 are preferably notched as at 56 to avoid interference with the T-bars 36.

In order to support a fluorescent lamp within a trough section, a lamp support is provided as indicated in Fig. 3. A therein shown, a fluorescent lamp 66 is mounted on suitable brackets 62 which in turn are secured to a horizontal strip 64 having upstanding flanges 66. These flanges are longitudinally grooved, as at 68, to receive headings I6 formedin the upper wall portions 22 of the trough section. Spreader bars I2 are shown as extending between the flanges 66 so as to serve as an anchorage for a wiring fixture, these bars being adapted to be raised and lowered by screws 14, which are rotatably mounted on the bracket 62 and whose lower ends are shown bearing against a fastening tab 146, projecting from an end of the fixture. The flanges 66 converge upwardly so as to conform to the downwardly flaring side walls 22. Hence, if the screws 14 are turned .so as to lower the spreader bars 12, the outward pressure of the ends of these bars against the flanges 66 may be relieved. In order to stiffen the housing itself against the tendency to spread, tie-rods I6 may be provided, such rods extending through the side walls 22 and being secured with end nuts I6. Between the walls 22 spacer sleeves 86 are preferably provided on the tie-rod I6 to cooperate with the nuts I8 in supporting the walls 22 in proper relation to each other. The space within the trough between the top 26 and the strip 64 is a chamber in which the wiring for the lamps can conveniently be disposed. Instead of a tongue-andgroove relation between the side walls 22 and the flanges 66 for the support of the lamp, uspension members, such as bolts 62 and nuts 84, may be provided as illustrated in Fig. 7, such bolts extending vertically through the top 20 and the strip 64 to which the lamp brackets are secured. With such structure small abutment elements 86 may be mounted on the walls 22 to be engaged by the flanges 66 of the lamp support.

The inverted troughs may be open at the bottom, as illustrated in Fig. 2, or may have translucent bottom panels 96, as illustrated in Fig. 6. In such case, the panel 96 is preferably supported by shelf elements 92 having horizontal portions projecting toward each other, on which portions the margins of the panel are adapted to rest. The shelf elements also are provided with upstanding portions 94 having a longitudinal bead 96 to fit into the T-bar 36, this bead in such case being formed in the upstanding portion of the shelf element rather than in the flange of the housing to which the shelf element i permanently secured. The translucent panel 96, which may be made of glass or any other lighttransmitting material, is of sufficient width to overlap the marginal portions of the shelf elements 92. The panel 96 may be inserted in the trough edgewise in an inclined position. When the lower side edge of the panel is above the adjacent shelf 92, the upper edge is permitted to swing down so as to engage the opposite shelf. Thus, the panel may be inserted and removed readily after the housing has been installed.

It is sometimes desired to have screens or baffleplates extending across the lower portion of the housing from side to side. A baflle plate I06 of this description is illustrated in Fig. 8. Such a platemay readily be in talled in a trough section prior to the installation of the latter by springing apart the side walls of the section sufficiently to permit a pair of pins I62 projectin from each side edge of the plate I66 to enter Co p i P s of holes I64 through the flaring lowermost wall portions 26 of the trough section. The pins I62 are mounted on the Plate in such a manner that they project at right angles to the planes of the wall sections 26. Since the latter are inclined with reference to a horizontal plane, the baffle plate I00 is secured in position when the side walls of the section spring back to their normal spacing.

It may be desired to mount housings of the kind described on supports for hung ceilings, such supports customarily consisting of horizontal channel bars II6 secured to the lower ends of downwardly extending rods II2. In such cases, the upstanding flanges 32 of the trough sections are provided with a series of horizontal slots I I4, as indicated in Fig. 11. Through each slot H4 is thrust a strip II6 of metal or the like, this strip being bent around the upper and lower edges of the adjacent bar II6 so that the trough section is thus secured to the horizontal bars II6. In order to prevent looseness between the trough sections and supporting bars, suitable wedges I I6 may be driven into the slots I I4 below the supporting bars IIO, as indicated in Fig. 9.

The glazed form of trough may similarly be supported on horizontal bars IIO by means of metal strips II6 which extend through slots cut through the upstanding flanges of the trough section and the shelf elements 92 secured thereto, as indicated in Fig. 10. Wedges II6 may be employed to prevent looseness between the trough section and supporting bars. If desired, the upstanding flange of each shelf element. 62 may be extended up so as to bend over the top of the supporting bar IIO as at I26.

It is evident that various modifications and changes may be made in the embodiments of the invention herein illustrated and described without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A housing for fluorescent lamps, comprising an inverted trough of sheet metal having upturned flanges along the sides with elements thereon for supporting the housing, andstraps secured to the side walls of the trough at the ends thereof, said straps having portions spaced away from the walls to form openings adapted to receive fastening elements, said straps being offset from the adjacent end edges of the trough so that some of the straps project beyond the adjacent end edges and others of the straps are set back from the adjacent end edges- 2. A housing for fluorescent lamps, comprising an inverted trough of sheet metal having upturned flanges along the sides with elements thereon for supporting the housing, and straps secured to the side walls of the trough at the ends thereof, said straps having portions spaced away from the walls to form openings adapted to receive fastening elements, the straps at one end of the trough being offset to project beyond the adjacent end edge of the trough. and the straps at the other end being set back from the adjacent end edge of the trough.

3. A housing for fluorescent lamps, comprising a plurality of inverted trough sections of sheet metal with end edges of successive sections abutting, and means fastening said sections together, said fastening means comprising straps secured to the side walls of the sections along the end edges thereof, aid straps having portions spaced away from the walls to form openings thereunder for fastening elements, and fastening elements extending through corresponding openings under the straps at abutting ends of said trough sections.

'4. A housing for fluorescent lamps, comprising an inverted trough of sheet metal, a lamp support removably secured in the upper portion of said trough, straps secured on the outer surface of the side walls of the trough at the ends thereof, said straps having portions spaced away from the walls to 'form openings for fastening elements, an end plate across one end of the trough, said plate having apertures registering with openings formed by adjacent straps, and fastening elements projecting through said openings and corresponding apertures.

BARNETT LEVY. 

